Chapter-3 Conditions & Alterations

"Given your persistent sarcasm, I need to be absolutely clear." The man in the doctor's uniform removed his glasses, sitting upright and confronting the indifferent boy before him, whose demeanor suggested he cared little for what was about to be said.

The man sighed, replacing his glasses. "You have one of the most severe cases of hypogonadism I've ever seen. Your testosterone levels are far beyond what could be attributed to a mere mental illness." In response, the boy simply yawned, displaying indifference to the potential health issues affecting his body.

"Not to mention the abnormal density of your bones, which could indicate either fragility or extraordinary toughness. And on top of that, your thought patterns are edging dangerously close to suicidal behavior."

"And?" The boy questioned, resting his head on his palm, displaying his nonchalant attitude.

"And the question remains, how are you even able to move?" The doctor finally expressed, "most patients would be confined to a hospital bed all day. Yet here you are, displaying the utmost nonchalance after finally bothering to seek medical help." The doctor's intention was evident: to highlight the boy's apparent disregard for his own well-being.

Yet, like previous attempts, Aaron simply shrugged off concerns. "Are we done here?" Aaron asked, rising from his chair to don his jacket. "Look, I'll write you a list of medications. Buy them and make sure to come back for another check-up—" The doctor couldn't continue speaking as the boy finally mustered a proper reply to the conversation.

"Have some decency, fuck's sake." Aaron's voice carried a sharp edge, causing the doctor to momentarily freeze. "Pardon?"

"Do you honestly believe I can afford any of this? Not to mention a laundry list of medications. I don't care if you are doing your job, read into someone's intention and state before you act like a saint and hand them a list of unaffordable needs." With a frustrated exhale, Aaron turned and walked out, slamming the door behind him.

Angrily marching with his hands shoved deep in his pockets, Aaron glared at the road filled with buzzing vehicles ahead of him. "Bone density... huh?" It wasn't his intention to be on the offensive with his words, but the boy had already utilized the last of his savings to book the appointment with the doctor. The prospect of being further drained of his already empty pockets ticked him off.

'The sole reason I booked the damn appointment is because I kept on passing out, only for the prick to tell me I was just hungry, then fuck me over with some new condition up my ass.' He sighed heavily, his gaze fixated on the sky above, vast in its stars over the night. 'I'm pretty much done for, not like an orphanage would take in someone my age. And I sure as hell can't find a job thanks to my supposed deed.'

His feet collided with something, sending it tumbling to the side. The sound of glass hitting metal, had indicated he knocked away some kind of glass bottle against the iron rails.

"Hmm?" Bending down, he realized he had dislodged a half-empty bottle of vodka. It lay there randomly in the street, free for anyone to pick up and claim.

"....."

"Fuck it."

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[Welcome]

A floating window greeted its readers, comprising numerous students and teachers engaged in transportation. Despite being organized into groups, each individual had their own window to peruse.

[As per result of the game, certain conditions set by tie of the match has been fulfilled, by either side.]

The window served as a reminder of the game Aaron had engaged in with the mysterious lady. A palpable sense of panic resonated through their hearts as they anticipated the consequences set by the match. They were aware of what lay ahead, all because of the boy's actions.

Speaking of which....

[The first condition]

"Everyone gets an equal chance in this new world," Aaron declared to the void, brushing off his uniform as he rose from the dirty floor.

The "conditions" were established based on the outcome of Aaron and the lady's game. However, the results were not equal. The boy had been granted the privilege of setting the conditions, with the lady retaining the authority to adjust them to a suitable draw, as she saw fit. The key sentence being the latter, as the lady could very well have laid a crushing obstacle over the boy for shits and giggles.

"The first condition, equality. In exchange for everyone being afforded equal opportunities for success, they will face challenges tailored to each individual's strengths and intellect," Aaron mused aloud.

"I suppose ■■■■■■■■■'s alteration was to send us into this labyrinth look-alike."

Inspecting the walls and the lanterns hanging from the black ceiling, the boy stared ahead, his gaze piercing into a seemingly endless hallway illuminated by the azure flames of metal cages.

[The second condition]

"Serena! Claris!" Mera rushed to embrace her two friends, who welcomed the reunion. "Mera! What's happening!? What did Aaron do!?" Claris frantically questioned her friend.

Meanwhile, with the blond...

"Oi! Felix! Is that you!?" A black male cheerfully sprinted towards his friend in a state of panic, his muscular stature and height easily rivalling that of Felix. "Macro, you're here too?!" the blond called back, a smile spreading across his face.

"At the cost of everyone gathering in groups, the challenges increase in difficultly, and I... end up alone, huh?" The implications of this condition could range from challenging to outright unfair. The upcoming obstacles were intended to be tackled by a group, and now that Aaron found himself alone, he couldn't discern whether the lady had conditioned them to this situation or not.

"Whatever reeks ahead, I'm on my own. Simply put, I can't afford to die here..... or do I? Whatever, I'll just leave the mental issues until I step outside of here."

His scar itched, and naturally, he loosened his tie to relieve the itch...

Step

Step

Step

After covering a fair distance, Aaron encountered what appeared to be the first obstacle. Maybe.

The remains of a skeleton clad in rusty armor, laying against the wall, its metal plates bearing numerous slashes and damages, some of which were beginning to fall off.

In one hand, the corpse clutched what appeared to be a bottle of wine. "Oh!" The boy immediately ducked down and seized it, inspecting its surprisingly well-preserved state. Gripping the cork tightly, he pulled back, and a sharp "pop!" echoed as the smell of wine assailed his senses.

"Jesus!" He pinched his nose shut with his fingers, holding the bottle away from him. Thankfully, the smell wasn't that of vinegar; if it had been, it would mean the wine had gone bad. "The fruity smell is too strong. What kind of fruits did they use in this?"

Although it may seem far-fetched to find wine of all things in a different world, the concept wasn't implausible. Someone would always think of utilizing grapes, someone would eventually experiment with them, and then someone foolish enough would come along and consume the remnants of it.

And voila, wine. Because no human would pass up the opportunity to drink something and feel a little funny.

"Well then, let's see what quality drinks this world has to offer."

Bringing the bottle to his lips, Aaron tilted his head back and took a large gulp of the wine into his mouth.

"!"

His taste buds recoiled, tears welling in his eyes in response to the intense flavor. The taste spread to the corners of his mouth, causing him to lean against the wall.

Chug!

"Oh boy... this, this 'ome good shit."

His body struggled to process the taste of wine, hindering his ability to form coherent sentences. Even his eyelids were hindered for a second.

"Burgh!!!!" He burped loudly, a faint of red across his cheek.

"I might just survive to get more of this wine." And that's saying something.

Yet again, his neck itched, and he scratched it.

Returning to the matter at hand, there was another item clutched in the corpse's hand—a short golden sword, seemingly untouched by time or imperfections.... as if it had been placed there recently...

Splash!

Aaron deliberately drenched the blade with wine from above, coating the dense drink over its surface.

"@%#$"

What ensued was an unearthly screech that the boy's ears struggled to classify. The golden sword ceased to be a sword, morphing into a constantly shifting mass of bizarre and varied forms.

"Yeah, this ain't an RPG."

Aaron ducked down, poking the strange, presumably alive abomination, with little to no care. "Silly little thing."

Perhaps due to his impending drunken state, or the unsettling presence of the creature before him, as soon as the boy blinked, his left pinky vanished. There was no blood, no pain—just the sound of crunching emanating from the creature before him.

He glanced at where his pinky was supposed to be, as if it were a wound that had long since healed. "So you consumed a part of me without ripping it off? Neat trick!" Aaron gently stroked the creature's back (?) while taking a large swig of his wine.

"Damn, I could drink this all day!"

The sound of crackling bones and tearing flesh echoed through the labyrinth as Aaron focused on savoring the flavor of his drink. Unbeknownst to him, the creature was morphing into something else.

"Huh...?" Aaron witnessed the shadow of a human figure towering over his kneeling form, and as he turned around, he was met with...

himself?

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Deeper within the labyrinth, blades clashed, steel bent, and enemies fell.

"YAHH!!!" With a rusted long sword in hand, Felix swiftly decapitated an undead warrior adorned in battered armor. Retrieving his blade just in time, he narrowly dodged an incoming arrow from another foe. "Tsk!" He clicked his tongue in frustration, eyeing the daunting gap between himself and the remaining undead. "Crap! The distance is too great! Can I reach him before he fires again?!"

Amidst his contemplations, Macro sprang into action, brandishing a greatshield with both hands. As the undead released the arrow, it bounced off the metal fortress of a shield, crashing against the wall, claiming it back to death. "You girls alright?" Macro inquired, turning towards none other than Claris and Serena, each clutching a dagger as if their lives hung in the balance.

"Y-yes, thank you for the assistance," Serena replied, her voice trembling, tears pooling in her eyes as she surveyed the corpses of the undead they had vanquished. "Help... huh?" Felix grunted, casting a glance at Mera herself, who stood amidst the fallen undead, her bare fists encrusted with rust and dried remnants of the undead.

"How long have we been here?" Felix inquired, but before Macro could respond, Mera interjected, "three hours and thirty-seven minutes."

"Right..." Felix nodded, trusting Mera's precise internal clock, which could discern the time down to the seconds, whether amidst the day or within a separate timer in her mind.

After all, he guaranteed it.

The girl cracked her knuckles, clearing the path of undead corpses as she strode towards her team. "Did any of you receive a window alert?" she inquired. The group shook their heads in unison, prompting Mera to sigh. "We can only keep moving."

"Mera..." Serena's discomfort was evident, not from being thrown into the labyrinth with her friends, but because of her concern for Mera.

'When everyone chose Aaron as a sacrifice, we were supposed to be sent somewhere safe, where our future is guaranteed...' As she pondered, Mera turned her head towards Claris and the two boys, noting the similar expressions on their faces. Her thoughts trailed off. 'Aaron could have simply requested to be sent alone to safety, while the rest of us were thrown into the depths of hell. Yet he chose an equal chance for everyone, even requesting that we be sent in groups.'

Serena's fear lingered, unsettled by Aaron's intentions. Why did he offer everyone a chance to face a challenge that seemed more than manageable? Did he not bear hatred towards them?

"He could be planning something unimaginably evil..." Serena's mind raced with possibilities. The gift of sentience brought with it the fear of the unknown, and Aaron wielded that power.

"Or did he simply not see us as worth his time?"

"And no matter the outcome, Mera will be hurt as well," Serena concluded her thoughts with a heavy heart.

After all, Serena had lost count after Aaron's fiftieth dominant victory against the lady. His method of "refreshing his mind" was anything but sane.

'What is he going to do!?'

'What's he planning!?'

"..."

Slap!

Serena's abrupt action drew the attention of all her friends as she clapped her hands against her face, causing her cheeks to flush with a stinging pain.

"What are you doing?" Claris inquired.

"Nothing, let's get out of here already!" Serena yelled, her composure immediately retaining its poise, clutching her dagger tightly as the group followed suit.

Mera had long since shed her insufferable personality, so what kind of friends would they be if they let her face what's coming alone?

"No matter what Aaron does, we'll be by Mera's side!" Serena affirmed, her determination unwavering.

Creak

Right as Serena had set her mind, the floor beneath her and Macro opened up, swallowing the two of them before closing shut without a trace of the incident.

"S-Serena! Macro!"

Felix, along Claris's voice, rang out loudly as they rushed towards the spot where their friends had disappeared. Yet, Mera had already beaten them to the punch. With an enraged glare, she landed a punch to the floor, shaking the ceiling in the process. As the girl lifted her fist, a crater remained behind from her strike, which quickly fixed itself.

'The floor automatically repair itself!?' She mentally noted.

"Fine then! I'll just punch it so many times it can no longer do it!" Mera declared, lifting her fist to deliver another blow. But just as she prepared to strike, Felix's voice called out to her, "Mera!"

Turning around, Mera was confronted with countless undead approaching Felix and Claris. It seemed as though the labyrinth itself had challenged them to prevail without their shielder, Macro.

But truth be told, Mera was more than capable of handling the situation, and her roar was proof of that. "OUT OF MY WAY!!!" she bellowed, her rage echoing through the labyrinth, shaking the soon-to-be-dead-again undead.

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Back with Aaron, the boy found himself facing a dilemma.

The creature from earlier had assumed his form, a development that needed no explanation as to why it posed nothing but danger. Perhaps this imposter intended to slaughter Aaron and take his place. Or maybe it planned to imprison him while slowly destroying his life.

Well, there was nothing left of Aaron's life to destroy, but it's the evil intention that counts.

In the boy's case, after the creature had mimicked his form, it groaned, made a face of visible disgust, and then morphed back into its original, questionable form. Almost as if...

"Are you saying my body is an awful host!?" Aaron interjected, his tone a mix of drunken offense and curiosity.

Admittedly, the boy fully agreed with the presumed decision of the creature. His body was anything but comfortable.

His dense bones restricted his movements, hindering his freedom of mobility. His deficiency in a certain hormone led to a host of mental and physical challenges. And to top it all off, the stress the boy had endured may or may not have compromised his cognitive processes.

To be fair, the only redeeming quality he had were the little yet refined abs his body continuously maintained to compensate for his bone density.

"And my intelligence, I guess. But you can't copy that, can you?" he snickered, taking another sip of wine.

Aaron grasped the creature firmly in one hand, his annoyance evident on his now scarlet cheeks, as he shook it wildly. "You took my pinky, you little prick!"

Amidst the aggressive shaking, the creature morphed into a multitude of forms—swords, hammers, and various other weapons—as if attempting to adapt to the boy's desires. "Ah... cool trick," the boy complimented before setting the creature down and resuming his march.

'I need to get out of here, located myself, then set the next goal.... then maybe, I can look through Mera's-'

Step!

Step!

The boy heard an echo of an extra pair of feet behind him, mirroring his every step. "For the love of god! What do you want?!" Turning around frustrated, the boy encountered his uncanny self once more, still naked. Of course, it had no clothes.

"Dammit....! I should've picked a better time to take a drink." His emotions were leaking. Or rather, forced out of his body like venom, thanks to the wine.

The creature silently approached the boy, locking eyes with him. "What, you wanna tag along?" the boy asked, and the creature nodded. Aaron took a final sip of his wine before reaching out to inspect the creature's neck. "You failed to replicate my scar," the boy noted, scanning the rest of its body.

Perhaps due to the boy's singular focus on the creature before him, he failed to notice the strange marks engraved on his own scar. The creature, however, seemed to have observed this, as it reached out to inspect the boy's neck on its own. His drunkenness dulled his usual instinct to recoil upon being touched, allowing him to remain still, as the creature navigated the boy's neck.

"You're a weird one," he commented, "but you did take my finger, so I guess it's fitting you come along." Aaron admitted, nodding to his copy with an unreadable smile, prompting the creature to huff in reply.

"One small question though, you'll be walking around naked?" The boy pointed at the naked figure, who merely shrugged in response. Morally, This matter was questionable. Legally, It was not allowed. Personally? Aaron could give less of a fuck about a clone of himself swinging his shlong around.

"It sure would be handy if you could transform into something else," Aaron observed, strolling beside his newfound companion as they navigated the labyrinth.

It's not that the boy had found the creature's abilities mundane. However, the ability to morph into only inanimate objects, and being limited to sharing a copy of himself, made the boy question the creature's capabilities.

Encountering undead was an entirely different matter, though Aaron scarcely bothered to consider them. His friend would morph into a weapon, and the boy would dispatch the already deceased foes. Traps? Nowhere to be found. Treasure rooms? Nonexistent. All that awaits are tests of endurance and trial and error. "If this were an RPG, it would easily earn the award for worst game of the year."

Yet another undead appeared, attempting a feeble swing at the boy. He sidestepped, seizing the creature's hand as it transformed into a mace, then swiftly dispatched the zombie by a solid wack to the side of its head, knocking the lights out of it. "Imito..." the boy muttered, watching as the creature morphed away from his hand, then cocked its head in a questioning manner. "It just popped into my head, I don't know what it stands for, but I'll call you that from now on," Aaron affirmed, indifferent to whether the creature liked the name or not.

"Let's keep moving already..." he walked past the creature, but quickly came to a halt around the corner. Before Aaron, lay the corpse of a tiger-like creature, with four half-open eyelids, black and dark gray fur covering its body, and a tail seemingly adorned with jet black blades. "The heck?" The monster was undoubtedly dead, but what puzzled him was its size. It was larger than a tiger, yet its proportions seemed off.

One other thing caught Aaron's attention—the corpse had a long blade protruding from its belly. Aaron approached it for further inspection, displaying a complete disregard for the typical human reaction of disgust. As he did, what sprang out from the monster, accompanied by its organs flopping out, was a long Eastern blade, albeit slightly wider and longer. It was made of jet black steel, matching the tail of the beast, and its sheath nowhere to be seen.

"What is this thing...? Was it hunted? Or did it bite off more than it can chew?" Another factor that alarmed the boy was the dense smell of metal in the air—or rather, the density of blood in the corpse. Though it appeared pitch black in color, as Aaron pulled out the blade, he noticed blood seeping from it, leaving behind red streaks.

"Damn! this is heavy!" Aaron remarked as he weighed the blade in both his hands. Even with a missing finger due to Imito consuming it, the weight wouldn't be much different. "Who could swing this thing like an Eastern blade is meant to be used?!" Another concern for him was the size of the handle and the marks left on it, almost as if...

"This thing is wielded by one hand...?"

Then, the blood flowed.

'If the blood was dense enough to become black, how strong was the heart of this thing? Was its functionality as robust as the density suggests? And how much heat did its body generate?' Aaron mentally began to piece together all the information he could gather from what little was provided to him. But with every impressive detail he surmised, it only deepened the mystery.

"What could possibly have had the power to hunt this thing?" Aaron mused aloud, the question hanging heavy in the air, adding yet another layer of intrigue to the enigma before him.

Yet, this did answer a question that had been lingering in the boy's mind for a while. This trial was not simply a means for him and others to enter the new world. They were already in that world, and the creature before him was proof of that. The labyrinth was not meant to facilitate their entry into the new world; rather, it was meant to test their ability to survive and emerge alive.

"This isn't an opportunity, it's a test," Aaron realized, the gravity of the revelation settling upon him. Yet it didn't weigh on him with the intensity he had anticipated. Instead of a sensation of imminent danger, it felt more like a realization, a thought simply taking shape in his mind.

"I suppose this is one of ■■■■■■■■■'s ways of altering my conditions." Upon uttering her name, Aaron noticed Imito visibly recoil in pain, clutching its head. "What's up-" Suddenly, a realization dawned on him.

"Wait a minute, how am I even spelling her name?" Aaron pondered. It hadn't occurred to him until now, but uttering the lady's name felt strangely absent, as if the act of speaking it was somehow bypassed, leaving only the result. He couldn't visualize the letters or slow down the process of saying it.

Simply put, Aaron could "speak" the lady's name, but without full awareness in the process. This situation seemed to affect others differently. Imito experienced a sort of mental stagger when it heard the name. It was a clear indication that it was not able, or allowed to hear it

"Seems like I encountered someone beyond the conception of words."

He took another sip, feeling the effects of the alcohol intensify. "Now for this thing..." Staring at the corpse of the beast before him, Aaron glanced at Imito, then back at the corpse, contemplating a certain idea.

"..."

"Ah hell yeah!" The boy gloated, holding the black sword in one hand and his wine in the other, as he rode atop Imito's newly assumed form, shaped like the beast they had found. "You didn't tell me you could mimic creatures from their corpses!" He laughed uproariously. Imito gracefully bounded between walls with nimble and powerful moves, swiftly navigating the labyrinth and dispatching any undead in their path with its bladed tail.

Imito's four eyes pierced through the darkness that the violet lanterns had failed to illuminate, granting it yet another advantage against the undead, who could only act upon hearing, their rotten eyes rendered useless. With this added advantage, they pressed on through the labyrinth, Imito's keen senses guiding them safely through the shadows.

"Huh... those are..."

"Oi! Imito! Grab these two on your way." As luck would have it, Macro and Serena found themselves in the path of the duo, surrounded by undead. With swift precision, Imito leaped from above, executing a spiral dive as it decapitated the heads of the undead, leaving Aaron no chance to intervene.

"Woah!" Macro exclaimed in shock, witnessing Imito's efficient dispatching of the enemies in one swift swoop. He quickly positioned himself between the beast and his friend, shouting to Serena, "Get out of here! I'll hold this damn thing off!" Yet Macro's bravery faltered when Serena pointed directly at the one riding the beast.

"Imito sure knows how to use this body, huh?" Aaron mused inwardly.

"Aaron..." someone called out, but the boy remained oblivious.

'Does this have to do with felines automatically learning the basics?'

"Hey..."

"But this is more of a monster, no? And if it was the case, Imito wouldn't have been able to walk using my body.....'

"Hey!"

'Did I do something to make Imito learn faster?"

"Aaron!" The voices finally pierced his hearing. "WHAT DO YOU WANT!?" The boy yelled back, causing the two to flinch, as Imito had matched his energy in the reply, growling at the two. Upon watching Serena shaking, Macro had held his shield higher, glaring at the boy, despite being afraid himself.

It goes without saying, this had ticked the boy.

"Of course....." he mumbled, "what do you two want?"

"You..." Macro stammered, stunned by the sight before him. This was a far cry from the friend he once knew. There stood a figure with flushed cheeks, brandishing a long blade, astride a monstrous beast. "What happened to you...?"

"Forget about that," the boy dismissed the question, his blade pointing ominously at the two, as he dismounted from his beast. "You two know the way out of here?" Macro shook his head, irritating Aaron. "Well then, see ya." The boy was about to mount Imito again, but Macro interrupted him by grabbing his hand. "Aaron, you're stuck here too, right?" Macro's concern was evident, his grip gentle yet firm. "Let's team up. We can find our way back to Mera and-"

"-!"

Macro froze as the cold steel of a blade pressed against his throat, his gaze shifting to see Imito's tail poised threateningly, its four eyes fixated on him with a menacing glare.

"Macro!" Serena's voice attempted to intervene, but another blade intercepted her, wielded by Aaron. "You two sure have some guts to suggest that, or you're just stupid," he mocked. "You really want to team up with me? The same person that took away your chances of safely entering the new world?" His tone grew dark. "I wonder, how many students died in this place because I refused to quietly take the blame?"

"Of course, if you have a problem with that, I can get rid of you here," the boy sneered, a sinister smirk creeping across his face. "Or better yet, attract more monsters and watch you two struggle until you're eaten alive."

"You're lying," Serena interjected, locking her gaze with Aaron's. "You'd never do that!" Determined, she took a step forward, the blade now pressing against her throat. "Serena, what are you doing!?" Macro pleaded, but she remained resolute. "If you had half the bad intention you claim, you would've won the game against the lady earlier."

"The hell are you yapping about? Winning was impossible for me. Every round I won could only allow me a condition or two," Aaron countered, his face now more blank than expressive. "I know you can, because Mera herself knew that you could've won if you had wanted!" Upon hearing those words, the boy's drunkenness seemed to falter, replaced by an unreadable expression.

"I've been thinking for a bit... why did you request that everyone receives an equal chance? Why haven't you decided to go on your own while throwing us down hell?" The blade slightly cut through her skin. "Everyone was able to witness the game, none of your conditions were against us, and every disadvantage was against you! So-"

[New Condition Had Been Set]

A chilling silence fell as the window appeared once more, its ominous presence signaling a new twist in their fate.

[So far, each of you have been gathering points upon success and progress] the window declared.

[The head of the points list shall have immediate access to the new world.]

[New Alteration Aad Been Set.]

[Killing others in the list will allow one to receive their points.]

[Remain alive long enough, and you earn your freedom to the next world regardless.]

As the walls of the labyrinth crumbled away, the ceiling vanished along with the lights, leaving everyone in the white void once more. Each survivor found themselves standing in the same space.

"A battle royal, huh?" Aaron muttered, a grim realization dawning on every person who had remained alive until now.

<summons 145 remaining:>

Head of the list:

[Aaron]